A vehicle battery charger and a vehicle battery charging system are described and illustrated, and can include a controller enabling a user to enter a time of day at which the vehicle battery charger or system begins and/or ends charging of the vehicle battery. The vehicle battery charger can be separate from the vehicle, can be at least partially integrated into the vehicle, can include a transmitter and/or a receiver capable of communication with a controller that is remote from the vehicle and vehicle charger, and can be controlled by a user or another party (e.g., a power utility) to control battery charging based upon a time of day, cost of power, or other factors.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the second controller is configured to calculate the total cost of power delivered to the battery by calculating the total cost of power at each of a plurality of times during the current charging session and update the total cost of power delivered to the battery on the display based upon the total cost of power calculated at each of the plurality of times.
3. The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the second controller is further configured to receive a signal from the first controller and start or stop supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon the signal.
4. The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the second controller is further configured to receive a signal from a third controller remote from the vehicle charger and the battery and to start or stop supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon the signal.
5. The vehicle charger of claim 4, further comprising a transmitter coupled to the second controller for communication with the third controller.
6. The vehicle charger of claim 5, wherein the second controller is further configured to transmit, via the transmitter during the current charging session of the battery with the vehicle charger, the cost of power per unit of power to the third controller for display on a second display coupled to the third controller.
7. The vehicle charger of claim 5, wherein the second controller is further configured to transmit, via the transmitter during the current charging session of the battery with the vehicle charger, the total cost of power delivered to the battery to the third controller for display on a second display coupled to the third controller.
8. The vehicle charger of claim 5, wherein the second controller is further configured to transmit, via the transmitter during the current charging session of the battery with the vehicle charger, a level of charge of the battery upon the display.
9. The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the second controller is further configured to change a supply of electric power to charge the battery during the current charging session by at least one of a group consisting of increasing a rate of charge of the battery, decreasing the rate of charge of the battery, starting battery charging, and stopping battery charging based at least in part upon the cost of power per unit of power.
10. The vehicle charger of claim 1, further comprising a user interface, wherein the second controller is configured to receive a time of day from the user interface and change a supply of electric power to charge the battery during the current charging session by at least one of a group consisting of increasing a rate of charge of the battery, decreasing the rate of charge of the battery, starting battery charging, and stopping battery charging based at least in part upon the time of day.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein calculating the total cost of power includes calculating the total cost of power delivered to the battery at each of a plurality of times during the current charging session and updating the total cost of power delivered to the battery on the display based upon the total cost of power calculated at each of the plurality of times.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting data, with the second controller, to the third controller via a transmitter coupled to the second controller.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the data includes transmitting, during the current charging session of the battery with the vehicle charger, the cost of power per unit of power to the third controller for display on a second display coupled to the third controller.
17. The method of claim 15, where transmitting the data incudes transmitting, during the current charging session of the battery with the vehicle charger, the total cost of power delivered to the battery to the third controller for display on a second display coupled to the third controller.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the data includes transmitting a level of charge of the battery upon the display.
19. The method of claim 11, further comprising changing, with the second controller, a supply of electric power to charge the battery during the current charging session by at least one of a group consisting of increasing a rate of charge of the battery, decreasing the rate of charge of the battery, starting battery charging, and stopping battery charging based at least in part upon the cost of power per unit of power.
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March 18, 2022
November 29, 2022
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